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The Trump Team Just Refunded $100B in Illegal Tariffs

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Remember those sweeping global import tariffs from last year? Turns out taking hundreds of billions without asking Congress has one major drawback: you have to give it all back.

When the White House rolled out massive "liberation day" tariffs on nearly all goods entering the country using emergency executive powers, importers immediately filed lawsuits pointing out that taxing commerce is supposed to be Congress's job.

The Supreme Court took one look at the paperwork earlier this year and agreed, ordering the administration to refund the entire $165 billion pot collected under the scheme.

Now the payback is actually happening. Customs officials just confirmed they have already refunded roughly $100 billion to businesses, working through over 250,000 separate claims to send the cash back to the companies that were forced to pay it.

Taking a hundred billion dollars from private business without congressional approval turns out to be remarkably fast, but processing the return receipts is where the real paperwork begins.

Source: CourtListener

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  1. Caffeinated Possum
    so who is paying the interest on that forced $100B loan to the feds lol
    +5 solidAsking the real questions while the government treats the economy like a personal piggy bank
  2. Overcaffeinated Raccoon
    Classic government: take money now, figure out legality never, refund when forced.
    +1 boringA textbook observation that manages to be as exciting as watching paint dry on a tax form
  3. Supersized Possum
    Does this mean consumer prices drop now? Spoiler: no, companies will just keep the spread.
    +6 solidPointing out the obvious corporate greed is like shooting fish in a barrel, but someone has to do it
  4. Texan Sheriff
    bruh 250k refund claims... CBP clerks are going through pure h*** right now
    +2 emotionalPour one out for the bureaucrats drowning in paperwork while the world burns